Wehrmacht Diary

Rating:
Summary: The Nine Lives Of A German Officer
Review: I am a history buff and have always enjoyed World War II stories that are somewhat out of the mainstream. "WEHRMACHT DIARY," written by Wolfgang Cooper, ends up being one of those stories. The book follows the exploits of Major Siegfried Knappe, who fought for the German Army in virtually every major campaign during the conflict - was wounded numerous times - ended up in the Fuhrer bunker with Adolf Hitler near the end of the war where he served as a communications expert, shuttling back and forth between the front lines and the final German defenses - spent five years in various Soviet prison camps after the war - and finally made his way to East Germany, where he helped his family escape to the west. The amazing Major Knappe finally made his way to the United States. This is a very good book about a good soldier and a good family man. Similar to the movies "Das Boat" and "Cross Of Iron," I found myself pulling for Knappe and his comrades to get out of their perilous situations. Fascinating and easy to read. Not to technical. I loved it - and so did my father.

Rating:
Summary: The Nine Lives Of A German Officer
Review: I am a history buff and have always enjoyed World War II stories that are somewhat out of the mainstream. "WEHRMACHT DIARY," written by Wolfgang Cooper, ends up being one of those stories. The book follows the exploits of Major Siegfried Knappe, who fought for the German Army in virtually every major campaign during the conflict - was wounded numerous times - ended up in the Fuhrer bunker with Adolf Hitler near the end of the war where he served as a communications expert, shuttling back and forth between the front lines and the final German defenses - spent five years in various Soviet prison camps after the war - and finally made his way to East Germany, where he helped his family escape to the west. The amazing Major Knappe finally made his way to the United States. This is a very good book about a good soldier and a good family man. Similar to the movies "Das Boat" and "Cross Of Iron," I found myself pulling for Knappe and his comrades to get out of their perilous situations. Fascinating and easy to read. Not to technical. I loved it - and so did my father.

Rating:
Summary: A Good German Soldier
Review: I am a history buff, and "WEHRMACHT DIARY" is without question one of the best books in recent years that I have read dealing with World War II. It's not often you get a chance to look at the war through the eyes of a German soldier, but "WEHRMACHT DIARY" gives the reader that opportunity. Similar to the films "Cross Of Iron" and "Das Boat," you almost - but not quite - start rooting for the Germans near the end of the book. The author, Wolfgang Cooper, has done a superb job of chronicling the life of Major Siegfried Knappe, who fought on every major battle front save for the North Afrikan campaign, met Hitler face to face three times, and was in the bunker near the end of the war when the Russians were storming the gates of Berlin. Knappe's detailed accounts of the five years he spent in Russian captivity are also fascinating. The fact that this man survived numerous injuries and personal set-backs, and survived to eventually bring his family to the United States, is truly a remarkable story. I also enjoyed the section near the end of the book where Cooper gives a reasoned and intelligent view on the difference between Nazis and party ideology and regular German soldiers who were ordinary men fighting for their country. Unlike many history books that lose the reader after the first chapter, "WEHRMACHT DIARY" is written in a straightforward, easy to understand style. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about World War II and world history.